Featured Chinesco Style Female Sculpture

Me again. Found another unique item at an estate sale. I have no idea what this is or how old it is. I can only find one item like this on an auction site and it sold for a pretty penny.
She is 4" tall and fairly heavy. Any idea or what I should do next with this gal would be helpful.
Thank you so much everyone

 

Have you ruled out the possibility that the piece is a reproduction? And, if so, how?

Debora

 

The mottling/patina look very regular to me & the face seems a tad too cute- but I know zero abt Chinesco.I'd share it w/ every valid Pre-Columbian & ethno discussion site you can find.
You can email pics to Sothebys or Christies & they'll either say 'more pics/send it for evaluation' or 'no thanks'.

 

The couple of things had me scratching my head. If there were reproductions then I could possible find some other ones on line like I do my tea caddies or tea pots. I only found two items on line. One was an auction house and the other was a pattern for a 3d printer.
The other thing that has me questioning the age is mine has small holes where as the auction one looked solid.

 

Thank you for the information.

 

Sotheby's and Christie's are the leading international auction houses.

https://www.sothebys.com/en/

https://www.christies.com

Debora

 

Thank you, I will check it out

 

I assume this is the other figure you are referring to, that sold for 2,800 euros:


https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/36248...male-figure-terracotta-nayarit-culture-mexico

I have no idea why it should have sold for so much, unless there were just two bidders who really liked it. The description does not provide any information that would support it being an authentic pre columbian piece. In fact they loosely attribute it to two current indigenous groups in the Mexican state of Nayarit, the Huichol and/or Cora, saying the age is unknown. No provenance is provided.

The similarity to your lady is striking, however - enough that yours could be a miniature version from the same workshop. Or, a smaller copy made by an enterprising artisan when they saw what the larger one sold for a few years ago.

The distinctive ceramics from the West Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima started appearing on the art market in the 1930s, looted from shaft tombs. The lack of documented provenience makes it very difficult to be certain about the authenticity or age of any particular piece, and provides opportunities for creative reproductions. Mexican artisans have been making reproductions of a variety of styles for sale to tourists and collectors since the 19th century. Even museum collections include a significant percentage of incorrectly identified pieces. The art market for pre columbian ceramics is really the wild wild west.

Art historians and dealers have sorted the West Mexican figures into several styles, which may relate to specific regions and/or time periods. The "Chinesco" style was named after their supposed Chinese-like appearance.

I don't know what search terms you used, but there are a great variety of Nayarit/Chinesco figures on the internet for comparison -

https://www.google.com/search?q=Nay...HcV_BFkQ0pQJegQIChAB&biw=1412&bih=671&dpr=0.9

After immersing myself in the images, paying particular attention to those housed in museums (with the hope that they have the better chance of being "authentic"), I looked back at yours and was immediately struck by the contrast in appearance. The facial features are quite different, particularly the treatment of the eyes. The face and pose of your figure, and the larger similar one, are sweet - a "tad too cute" as @bosko69 said - when compared with other examples of the style. (It is often the case that reproductions/fakes incorporate features that appeal to contemporary tastes, making them more attractive - at least until tastes change and allow us to see the anachronisms.) Compare with this one:


https://www.arizonamuseumofnaturalh...ures-of-the-ancient-americas/mesoamerica#West

The surface finish also differs. Barring deterioration, the figures in museum collections are smoother and more polished/burnished. Another difference is in the appearance of the areas of dark discoloration. In authentic figures the dark spots are caused by manganese oxides that have formed during centuries of burial. In reproductions the spots are created with strategically applied pigments before or after firing.
A Colima figure with manganese oxide discoloration:

https://www.arizonamuseumofnaturalh...ures-of-the-ancient-americas/mesoamerica#West

It is difficult to authenticate things based on photographs alone, but in my opinion your figure is a charming modern reinterpretation of a pre columbian style. But if you want to be sure, your best option would be to find a specialist at a museum with relevant archeological collections who can actually handle the piece.

 

That is the main issue I noticed immediately. Another one is the strange treatment of the hair, which I've never seen on authentic Nayarit figures.

The seller is Dutch, I know him by name only, but I know he usually sells Asian items. He probably didn't have a clue about that one, and threw in some names of present day peoples in the region.

 

Thank you so much! I am glad to see I was on the same track of research. I trust this group and have learned so much. I live in a small town, so I might have to make a road trip and have it check it out.